


Chuck VS The Pen Pal

by Ambear9



Series: Chuck VS Holidays 2019 [16]
Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Christmas, M/M, Pen Pals, loosely based on a Christmas Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambear9/pseuds/Ambear9
Summary: Chuck has moved on after Sarah broke off their engagement then left. So when Team Bartowski broke up him and Morgan made an app that blew up overnight.Morgan sets Chuck up for a pen pal with a soldier and a friendship begins.
Relationships: Chuck Bartowski/John Casey
Series: Chuck VS Holidays 2019 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1289687
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	Chuck VS The Pen Pal

**Author's Note:**

> I watched a Christmas movie about Pen Pals and it inspired me to write this as I watched it.

“Don’t be mad”  
“Morgan every time you start a conversation like that it's guaranteed to make me mad”  
“I know buddy, but listen”  
“Last time you said that I almost punched you in the face”  
“But you love me and would never do that”  
“What do you want? I’m busy”  
“I signed you up for the pen pal with a soldier thing”  
“We currently have the number one mobile game right now, I don’t have time to write letters”  
“Come on, it will be nice, maybe meet a new sexy buff blue-eyed soldier to fall in love with ”  
“It’s not a dating thing, it's a friends thing and leave me alone about that”  
“I think you should do it”  
“Fine” Chuck held out his hand so Morgan could put the index card in his hand “Did you sign yourself up?”  
“No, I have a wife and two kids, who has time for that”  
“What do I even say?”  
“Maybe start with Hi”  
“It's a letter, not a text message”  
"Just try it"

It was the first day of summer vacation for a lot of schools so there was an overwhelming amount of people on the app so Chuck was stuck at his office till ten pm and he had too much coffee so now it’s almost midnight and he couldn’t fall asleep so he sat down at his desk to play some Overwatch but he saw the index card Morgan gave him for his pen pal. It took it way too long to find a notebook, he was only slightly embarrassed that the paper had Star Wars characters on it, but it’s all he had. 

Dear Eagle 

I’m going to start by saying that my best friend signed me up for this and I have no idea what to say, also I am 35, just thought I would clarify that because of the Star Wars paper. I don’t even know the last time I wrote a letter and I’m pretty sure this notebook is from High School.  
So the rules say I’m not allowed to use my real name or too many details, which is weird but I guess that’s the point of a secret pen pal, we can talk about stuff maybe we wouldn’t tell anyone else.  
So with as little detail as possible I’m a huge nerd, I work in technology, I have a sister who has three kids. I really enjoy being an Uncle, sadly I’m single and have no kids. I almost had a wife once, but that’s a story for a different day.  
Can you even tell me where you are or what you do?  
I’m in California, have been my entire life, even stayed here for college, I had an insane job for a while, I can’t really say much about it, but I ended up with a broken heart when the person I had a huge crush on left and I quit my job and used my entire savings to travel, maybe we can swap stories about places we have been.  
It’s currently midnight and I’ve had too much coffee, so this may be a bit rambly. Is that even a word?  
Now time to think of a cool pen pal name.  
Hope to hear from you soon.

-Hawk

p.s That took me too long to figure out and It’s not great. But since you had a bird name I thought I’d also do a bird name and also the Ebon Hawk is a ship in the Star Wars universe. 

Dear Hawk 

It’s not a bad name. I have no idea why I signed up for this, maybe for something to do during these long boring nights spent staring out into the vast nothingness of the desert.  
That’s all I can tell you about my location, lots and lots of sand, there may even be some in this letter.  
I’m an only child so I don’t know what it’s like to be an uncle, but I have a daughter who has two kids.  
I was in California for work for a while, the traffic sucks. Tell me about your travels, we can compare, there aren’t many places I haven’t been.  
I understand the heartbreak, I watch someone that I love fall in love with someone else, I had to move on with my life.  
As for the Star Wars paper, please keep using it, It brings back some fond memories from my past and it’s nice.

-Eagle

Dear Eagle

I’m so glad I got a letter back, I was starting to worry but then I remembered you are probably really far away. Summer is busy time for my company so I’ve been working stupid hours and getting no sleep, feels like in college again, minus the frat bros. Yes, I was in a frat, just not a douchey one, we were nerds who loved studying, chess and scrabble, but I did see my fair share of crazy frat parties.  
The first place I traveled was so cliche, I went to Paris, saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, honestly, the Mona Lisa is so tiny, I had no idea, it probably would have been nicer if there weren’t a billion people there. Then I almost blew all my money at Disney, I didn’t even know there was a Disney there, I didn't do much research before going. Then I decided to just hop on a train and go wherever it took me. I avoided Russia though, an old friend's hatred for Russia and Russians kept me away.  
Ireland was beautiful I wanted to never leave. Sweden was really fun, but obviously being the big nerd I am New Zealand was my final spot where I visited Hobbiton and almost bought a house. Have you read any Tolkien books? Are you a reader? I’d love to visit Japan one day. That's next on my list.  
Can I ask how old you are? Is it hard being away from your family?  
How long have you been in the military?

-Hawk

p.s I did buy a new notebook after I sent the first letter, but I will continue to use this SW paper. Hope it’s not too hot there, am I able to send a care package? 

Dear Hawk

Paris is nice, I fell in love and had my heart broken there once.  
I agree with your friend about Russia glad you avoided it. I have read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, I guy I well, the guy I liked suggested them and even though I wasn't interested I still read them. Shit, I’ve never admitted that. Don’t tell anyone. But I do love reading. There isn’t much to do around here except card cames and reading.  
Japan is great, I’ve been there many times. As a nerd, you would love it.  
I’m not 50...yet. My daughter was born when I was young and dumb but it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. She was a light in my darkest times.  
I joined when I was 18. Been in and out of active duty ever since. I can't say a lot about what I've done. It’s very hard to be away. My parents are dead so it’s just me and my daughter, I missed the birth of my grandson this year and it hurt more than I thought it would. I hope to be able to meet him by the end of the year.  
You don’t have to send me anything but you can. They may confiscate some shit but you can try. 

-Eagle  
P.s. who knew writing to a stranger would make me talk about shit I’ve never said out loud. 

Dear Mr. Eagle.

Heartbreak in Paris, so cliche. Kidding.  
The guy you like/liked sounds like a smart person. Can I ask if you are gay? You don’t have to answer. I came out as bi in middle school in a letter to my best friend. Sometimes it makes things easier even if one person knows. Not saying it has to be me. But I am a good listener and may be able to give advice.  
I hope this package gets to you. I sent some random books I had lying around, a mix of genres, a star wars bookmark that I had two of. Then I looked up lists of ideas so I sent some random toiletries, lots of socks, you can share with friends, my sister had a coupon and wanted to help. She also included foot care stuff and sunblock, she is in the medical field and sad it was important. My brother in law included a football, my niece and nephew drew pictures, the other nephew is a baby. I made some cookies, I had to make two batches because I ate a lot. Hope you like them, there are also various snacks.  
I’ll write more late, super busy,  
Happy 4th of July, thanks for everything you have done for your country.

-Hawk.

Dear Hawk.

It’s not Mr. it's Col. if you want to be specific, but Eagle works just fine. The care package was great. Tell your sister all the guys love her now and the football will get plenty of use. I’ll read all of the books, why not. The snacks were a huge hit, I kept all the cookies to myself, they were great. It means a lot to all of us to get gifts from home, no matter what it is. The drawings are hanging by my bed next to ones from my grandkids. I hate to ask but can you send me some new pens? Mine is running low and the ones here are not great.  
I guess I’ve never thought about my sexuality, I had only been with women until I met this guy I like. Nothing happened between us though, so once I moved to a different state and got a new job I hooked up with a few guys trying to find that connection again but never felt anything.  
You are right in that it’s easier to express how I feel by writing it down. I’m usually not one to talk about my feelings.  
I feel like he was the one that got away, I’ve thought about reaching out to him but he has also moved on with his life.  
Are you in a relationship? Was is hard to come out to family?  
I got to blow some shit up on the 4th, it was fun, don’t worry, no one was harmed.  
Hope your workload doesn't get too bad, you need to take some time to de-stress and relax.  
-Eagle  
Thanks again.

Colonel Eagle, so fancy.

I sent more cookies, these are s'more flavor, I kind of made it up one night when I was drunk. Also included a pack of my favorite pens, they come in black, blue, green and pink, a notebook and some envelopes and coffee that I found at this little shop when I went to the beach with the fam. It’s really good.  
Thank you for opening up to me about that. I think you should write him a letter, it might work.  
My parents weren't around much, my dad passed a few years ago after coming back in my life but I was with a girl then, and my mom came back when my sister got pregnant with her first kid. I don’t know if she knows, we aren't that close. I came out to my sister before I left for college, she is so fucking amazing and was so supportive even though I was a freaking mess. She is honestly a beacon of sunlight.  
Summer is coming to an end, so I will have an influx of people bringing in computers and laptops to be fixed by my company on top of the other stuff that the company does, but once mid-September hits it will go to a less crazy pace then Christmas will hit. But I love it and I’m super single so it’s not like I have anything else to do but work. My last relationship was a few years ago, pretty sure she lied to me then we almost got married, so glad we didn’t at the time I was super heartbroken but now when I look back on it I’m glad we never got married, I don’t think it would have worked out, plus I loved someone else more than I loved her, I just didn’t realize it at the time. I may still love him, not sure.  
I think that's enough ranting for now.

-I have no cool title Hawk.

Dear Eagle.

I haven't gotten a letter, I hope you are okay, I’m really worried. It’s crazy how much of a connection I feel to you even though we don’t know each other’s names. My hope is you are just super busy or it got lost in the mail. My sister is trying to set me up on a blind date, she is amazing as I’ve said before, but the type of people she sets me up with are never my type. I tried a dating app last week, my best friend and his wife made me, and I went on a date tonight. And it wasn’t horrible but there won’t be a second. I told him I needed to get home because I had plans, but really I just wanted to write to you even though I don’t have much to say. I’ve thought about telling you who I am, but I like the anonymity I feel like it will keep the conversations more honest. Plus I’m not sure you’re allowed to tell me your name. I hope it's something really cool like Maverick. Mine isn’t cool, and my middle name is weird, but I like my last name.  
Do you have a tv? Do you get to watch stuff?  
I really freaking hope you are okay.

A worried Hawk.

P.s. decided to send you a chessboard, not sure if you have one or not but I love chess.

Sir Hawk

Hope you’re not too worried anymore, sorry it’s been so long, we got busy and I wasn’t able to send anything out. Sorry, you were worried. The pens are great, never wrote a letter in pink pen, the guys are teasing me but I don’t care. Is it pretty? Where does one even find Star Wars envelopes?  
Don’t tell me your name, not yet, maybe one day.  
If I reach out to the guy that got away, you need to do the same. Maybe it can be our new year's resolution for next year.  
I’m glad you have someone like your sister in your life, she sounds great.  
My name is boring. Nothing even close to Maverick.  
We have one TV, there are twenty of us living in one giant room, the TV is always on and someone is always playing a video game, it’s super annoying.  
I love chess, we have a board but some of the pieces have been replaced by rocks or wadded up pieces of paper, so thank you, I will keep this one safe, the pieces are so nice. I bought you a keychain, I can’t send it until we leave here but I promise that one day it will be yours.  
Are you surviving the back to school rush? 

-Eagle

Eagle

I did a happy dance at the mailbox when I saw your letter. My neighbors probably think I’m weird. Oh, wait they probably already do. SO HAPPY you are okay.  
There is something entertaining about a letter from a military man in pink ink. I like it. I chose orange for this letter to add some spice to it. Haha.  
I’m only slightly sad that you don’t have a badass name.  
As an avid video game player, I don’t see a problem with that, but I can see how someone who doesn’t like video games could get annoyed. Sorry. I sent another book, I saw it at the used bookstore and thought maybe you would like it. It’s super fucked up though, just a warning. I read it in high school, big mistake, but it’s Stephan King so I should have expected it.  
Can’t wait to have the keychain, thanks for thinking of me.  
Since the last letter, I have aged up. Thankfully my sister didn’t do a surprise party, just close friends and family and some pizza and maybe too much beer.  
I did survive, there was a crazy virus that took over half the internet but we survived.  
What was the last thing you dressed up as for Halloween? Last year I was Flash, he is a superhero if you don’t know, I’ll include a picture, don’t worry, you can’t see my face. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do this year, maybe Captain America.  
Do you guys do anything wherever you are? What about Thanksgiving?  
I just got sad for you and your family know you won’t get to be with them for turkey. Do you ever get to call them or video chat?  
What’s your favorite candy? I’ll send some for your group to enjoy.

-Hawk.  
P.s. ooooooohhhh I should be Hawkeye (he is a superhero with a bow)  
P.s.s. I found the envelopes online.

Hawk(eye)

That book was interesting, my buddy is reading it now, I think it will be passed around. Happy Birthday, enjoy the drawing of a cake and balloons.  
I haven’t dressed up since I was a kid, I was probably a firefighter or cop, honestly don’t know. I taped the Flash picture to the wall, I hope you dressed as Hawkeye, and have a picture, he is a cool character. This will probably get to you after Halloween.  
I am very sad about Thanksgiving. We do get to talk once a week, we try video but sometimes we don’t have signal, it sucks.  
Christmas is going to be a hard one, I never really cared until I had grandkids, I love watching the excitement on their faces. We were able to go somewhere and get online and order gifts to get shipped to our loved ones, it was nice. Just sad I will have to wait till I get home to watch the videos of their gifts. I may have gotten you a little something, hope you like it.  
We will take any kind of candy, but chocolate may melt into a mess. I have a weakness for sour gummy worms, I forgot to tell you those s’more cookies were probably the best cookies I've ever had.  
Do you go all out for Thanksgiving? They usually try to serve us a nice meal with all the classics, just depends on the supplies we can get. A few weeks ago all we had was cans of chef Boyardee for three days, how do people eat that shit.  
I’m very thankful that you wrote me and started this pen pal thing, I didn’t want to do it at first, but I’m liking it.  
-Eagle  
P.s. is there an Eagle inspired superhero?

Dear Eagle

Oh I’m so happy you asked about the Eagle superhero and letting me totally geek out at the comic book store, I found three Marvel comics with the character American Eagle, I read them before putting them in the box with your sour gummies, s’more cookies and some beef jerky for all the guys, and yes the spaghetti-os are a joke, sorry I couldn’t help myself. The cranberry sauce and stuffing were the only things I could think to send, I thought about canned turkey but I wasn’t sure. Hope it’s enough for everyone. My sister added more health stuff and socks, not sure what all she put in there before she sealed it.  
I was Hawkeye, it was awesome, I wore my friends Iron Man mask just so I could take a picture for you. So enjoy.  
I’m so glad my friend signed me up for this. It’s been fun and I’m glad you like it. Can I open the gift? I got it already, or do I have to wait for Christmas?  
I love watching kids open gifts, between my niece and two nephews and my best friends two kids I love Christmas so much more seeing the joy in their faces.  
My sister goes insane for every holiday, she makes so much stuff for Thanksgiving we eat it for a week after and still have more.  
Enjoy the comics  
-Hawk

Hawk,

This will be a quick one, super busy, I shot the can of spaghetti-os with the biggest gun I could find, we ate the shit out of all the other stuff, I even shared the cookies. Love the picture it’s next to Flash.  
Been reading the comics when I have time, the other guys love them too, none of them had heard of that character.  
If you can wait that would be great, will write more later  
-Eagle.

Dear Hawk

Not sure if you have sent me anything since my last short letter and I might not because we are packing up to come home. It was very unexpected and I’m so fucking happy that I will be home for Christmas, I know this is against the rules but I want to meet you. I hope you get this in time.  
On Christmas Eve around 1900, I will be in Burbank California, there is an ice rink in town with a giant Christmas tree, I’ll be there, wearing my dress blues, I really hope to see you. And if not, then once I get settled in a new place I’ll write you another letter with my new address.  
-Eagle 

Chuck was sitting on Ellie’s couch staring at the letter in his hand.  
“Whatcha doin Uncle Chuck?”  
“Hey Clara, I’m just looking at letter my pen pal sent me”  
“What does it say?”  
“He wants to meet me”  
“What are you going to do?” Ellie walked into the room with Cohen on her hip.  
“I was thinking we all get bundled up and go see Santa and do some ice skating. Morgan, Alex, Fletcher and Johnny will be there”  
“How did your pen pal know you were in Burbank? I thought you couldn’t tell them”  
“I didn’t tell him, just told him I was in California”  
“Just promise me, Chuck, that you won’t have high hopes and get heartbroken”  
“Why would I be heartbroken? We are just friends. I don’t even know his name”  
“Help me get the kids dressed”  
“Where is Conner?”  
“Knee-deep in legos in his room”  
“Oh, I call dibs on him” Chuck jumped off the couch, he loved his niece and nephews equally, but Conner was super nerdy like him so they had a stronger connection.  
“Maybe borrow a sweater from Devon, at least look a bit nicer than what you are wearing”  
Chuck rolled his eyes, “I’ll ask him”

Chuck felt sick to his stomach, he may have developed some deep feelings for this secret pen pal, and meeting him in person may ruin everything.  
He wasn’t sure how the hell he was supposed to find one person in this crowd.  
“Bartowski?”  
Chuck’s mind must be playing tricks on him, there is no way the voice behind him was who he thought, he slowly turned around, trying not to get too excited.  
“John?” he resisted the urge to hug him even though Casey hugged him before he left he knew Casey wasn’t a hugger. “What are you” he stared at what Casey was wearing “Wait, why are you wearing that?”  
Casey shrugged “Part of the job”  
“Are you, is this a big joke? Did Morgan set this up?”  
“What are you talking about Chuck?”  
“Are you Eagle?”  
“Hawk?”  
Chuck nodded, with tears starting to form in his eyes. “I’ve missed you so much, I wish I knew it was you I was writing to, there is so much I've wanted to tell you but never had the chance”  
Casey didn’t say anything just wrapped his arms around Chuck, one hand fisting the back of his head.  
“It was always you John” Chuck whispered in his ear.  
The kiss took Chuck’s breath away.


End file.
